finding our feet

As I have watched the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast, the rebuilding of the transportation system has been the most interesting. If nothing else, it shows how much we rely on something other than our feet to get from place to place.

There was a story of waiter who literally ran more than five miles to get to his job because there were no taxis or subway. Another story of a jewelry store employee who drove just a few miles, which took him more than two hours. He would end up working a few hours and have to head home again. People who sat in cabs for hours before giving up and walking the rest of the way home.

The pictures of the traffic jams using the few bridges and tunnels that are open are jaw-dropping, not to mention the subway tunnels filled with water. It’s fascinating how daily life comes to a halt. There are more stories of commuters in NYC on Twitter and in the future at nytimes.com.

Although the traffic woes don’t shine a light to the tragedy of lost lives, it definitely highlights our absolute dependence on our nation’s transportation system, which obviously is open to vulnerability. I am in no place to judge since I live just a few blocks from work and still drive everyday and even pay for a parking spot.

But perhaps when we are cut off from our normal transportation modes, whether it be Hurricane Sandy, high gas prices or a deliberate choice, we’ll find nature’s transportation system — our feet!

LWTK’s mommy blogger, Sarah, is attempting to be a good mama to little Henry, wife to Shea, full-time employee and part-time grad student all while avoiding making dinner from a box every night. In her non-existent free time, she’s running, eating popcorn and blogging about it all at The Gatsby Diaries.